The average American is more than $90,000 in debt. This may not seem terrible, but you also have to consider that most people live paycheck to paycheck. Now, paying back almost $100K seems improbable, if not impossible.

If you find yourself overburdened by debt, don’t give up hope. There are tons of solutions available to people in your exact situation.

It will take some hard work and sacrifice, but you can learn how to get out of debt.

We want to help. Keep reading for a quick guide on how to become debt-free.

Eliminate Unnecessary Expenses

The first step in learning how to get out of debt is identifying where all of your money is going. If you’re living paycheck to paycheck, odds are you have a lot of unnecessary expenses.

This includes things like:

• Eating out
• Ordering coffee from coffee shops
• Mulitple TV/movie streaming services
• Magazine subscriptions
• Mystery box subscriptions
• Gym memberships
• Online shopping
• Impulse buys at the grocery store
• Etc.

These costs add up quickly and serve only to keep you in debt. If you want to become debt-free, you’ll need to drop these financially unhealthy habits. If you do, you’ll be left with hundreds of dollars at the end of each month.

Institute a Debt Repayment Strategy

Now that you’ve created some buffer room in your monthly cash flow, we can start to talk about paying debts. We recommend using the debt snowball method to learn how to get out of debt as quickly as possible.

In this method, continue making minimum monthly payments on all debts. However, put every extra dollar you have at the end of the month into your smallest debt to pay it off faster. Once that debt is paid off, you’ll have a bigger debt repayment “snowball” to attack your next smallest debt with.

Each time you pay off debt, your debt payment snowball grows bigger. Soon, you’ll be directing hundreds of dollars a month toward your debts, leading to a debt-free life.

The key to your success during this process is not accruing more debt. Don’t charge up a credit card or take out another loan or you’ll end up right where you started.

Get a Debt Consolidation Loan

In some cases, people can’t find room in their budget to start making big dents in their debts. In this case, learning how to get out of debt may require an additional step.

Apply for a debt consolidation loan to absorb your debts with the highest interest rates. Your consolidation loan will consolidate multiple payments into one payment. It will also provide a lower interest rate.

This will give you more room in your monthly budget and help relieve some of the weight of those high-interest debts. For more information, check out the SBA 504 Program.

Do You Want More Tips on How to Get Out of Debt?

If you’re ready to take control of your finances and pay off debt, we couldn’t be more excited for you. Use our guide to learn how to get out of debt and stay out of debt.

And if you’re looking for more financial tips or lifestyle advice, we have more to offer. Check out some of our other articles before you go to find more answers to your questions.